Infiltrating a diabolical stronghold (full party)

[Anastasia]

[21:16] <Kotono> The door is sealed. It only opens to creatures with the devil subtype. It could be forced but it would be obviously noisy, or proper Use Magic Device could fool it.
[21:16] * Muirfinn explains such to Lief.
[21:16] * Lief does his best!
[21:17] <Lief> roll d20+33 UMD
[21:17] <Serith> Lief roll for Serith < 44 > [d20=11]
[21:23] <Ithea> ooc: Can I help with the check at all? I figure not something I roll against him and see who rolls best, but not sure if I can assist?
[21:23] <Ithea> roll d20+28 UMD assist (if yes, otherwise ignore)
[21:23] <Serith> Ithea roll for Serith < 46 > [d20=18]
[21:23] <Kotono> OOC: Was a sec, sorry. Can you aid another with UMD? Checkr eal quick.
[21:24] <Ithea> ooc: I wasn't sure, that's why I was asking! But I'll check
[21:25] <Ithea> ooc: don't see anything in SRD, just says you can make same kind of skill check to aid another. It says 'In many cases, a character's help won't be beneficial, or only a limited number of characters can help at once.' so I think it's DM call
[21:25] <Ithea> ooc: So I turn it back to you once more!
[21:27] <Kotono> OOC: That's fine, we'll just roll with it.
[21:28] <Kotono> Using his skills, Lief is able to project onto the door. He's fairly sure it should work for them now.
[21:29] <Lief> "I think I got it!"
[21:29] * Lief attempts to open the door!
[21:29] <Muirfinn> "Well done!"

The door opens with a loud creak. The sound fills the air, disrupting the serene silence of the Astral. A fairly large room lies ahead, a rectangle 20ft long and 30ft wide, as well as 15ft tall. The walls are the same obsidian as the building is perched on. Regular clusters of 9 symmetrical runes are spaced out on the walls, shedding a red light that casts everything in a light akin to that of cooling lava.

Stand there is a squad of nine barbazu, 5ft ahead and in a 3 by 3 square. In the air directly above them is a squad of 9 erinyes. Glaives are at the ready and bows nocked with arrows. One of the erinyes glares at them and barks, "Identify yourself!"

OOC: Unfortunately, it seems the devils are wise enough not to trust a mere two barbazu on guard duty. This isn't roll initiative time quite yet, so discussion is possible. If you go hostile, I'll call for initiative rather than allowing a hostile action to go through. You have no chance of surprising them and can at best hope for reacting faster via initiative. Conversely, they've squandered any chance for a surprise by talking instead of firing blindly on the door opening.

Also, if someone can summarize any relevant spells in effect from #thecauldron, that would be helpful for all of us. Include those in the info summary of your posts since it's relevant.

[Yuthirin]

I'm not posting anything yet. My strongest social skill here is Diplomacy, which even at my huge modifier probably won't get us out of combat here. I'll leave this up to Lief, for a Bluff setup. Instead, posting current stats.

The Cauldron: I have nothing posted by us from here. I'll need to take castings from #d.

Active Spells

Muirfinn: Camouflage, Primal Instinct, Superior Resistance
Lief: Nondetection
Ithea: No Active Effects

Keep your active effects updated at the bottom of each post, update as needed.

[Anastasia]

Okay, cool. So noted. That puts the ball in your court unless you wanna try something, Ithea. Sylvie has a +45 mod to bluff (before factotum shenanigans) as well, should Lief wish to demure.

Sylvie DOES have 21, which makes any bluff extremely difficult for her to pull off. Not impossible, but she has to think fast and hope no one pokes even the slightest hole in it that she has to answer truthfully.

[Iron Dragoon]

OOC: I have no issues with a bluff set up. Sylvie could assist. I'm not sure what roll for relevant information I'd need to make a believable bluff for some kind of infiltration team reporting back, if any. I also probably won't be able to post again until tomorrow.

[Anastasia]

Knowledge (Planes) could help there. Since you're not able to post today, I'll check your sheet and make the roll. Or I would, but you don't have any ranks in it.

So you can try that blind or one of you can try something else.

[Iron Dragoon]

OOC: LUNCH POST! Could Sylvie or Ithea, who do have ranks in K:Planes head it and use my huge bluff mod to assist, or would that not be effective/efficient?

[Merc]

OOC: I don't believe we could help, as we'd then have to whisper the info to you to make use of it. Either you or Sylvie would have to make a bluff attempt on your own. While we wait for you, have a map.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, no chance or situation to pass the info on. You need to react and don't have a chance to do anything else.

[Iron Dragoon]

OOC: Okay, I'll kick it off. Trying to bluff that we're an infiltration team returning.

Lief glares right back at the Erinyes that spoke. "Infiltration team returning to report, as ordered. Who are *you?* And put that damn bow away. You should have been expecting us, but you obviously weren't. Who fucked up and when do I get to rip their hide off?"

Spoiler: ShowHide

OOC: Nondetection in effect, targeted one of the barbazu outside.
AC: 33, HP: 358
Damage reduction 10/cold iron, damage reduction 5/-,spell resistance 38, improved uncanny dodge, improved evasion

[Anastasia]

Okay, make a bluff check and post the results here. ...but since you don't seem to be around, I'll roll it for you.

> roll 1d20+33
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 43 > [d20=10]

The bows don't lower, the glaives stay raised and ready to strike the party down. "Access code," he demands, glaring right at Lief.

[Iron Dragoon]

OOC: Okay, I really don't know what I can do to figure out an access code, or even get a hint for it. So instead of making another bluff check completely blind, I'm going to hold off and see if anyone else has suggestions/ideas for it.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+54 K:P
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 60 > [d20=6]

"Of course we don't know the access code," Sylvie scowls, "We just got here. What do you think will happen if you attack us?"

> roll 1d20+67 (+22 inspiration, 11/12 left for encounter)
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 73 > [d20=6]

She's trying to bluff within the bounds 21 sets for her. Nothing she said here is a lie.

There's a long stare-off between the party and the devils. Tension seems to crackle in the room, long moments of absolute silence passing. Sylvie pauses only to crack her knuckles, the sound disrupting the silence of the stand off.

> roll 1d20+42 (+22 inspiration 10/12 left for encounter) intimidate
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 55 > [d20=13]

Sylvie's running with it and trying to set up an intimidate. Anyone else is free to chip in with their own intimidate roll or try and turn it into another direction.

[Iron Dragoon]

OOC: Don't have intimidate, but I've got a bow and bluff!

Lief grins at Sylvie's actions and draws his own bow, taking aim at the devil Sylvie's focused on.

"I'd listen to her. She tends to not leave much more than paste. She takes her time with it, too."

> roll 1d20+33 Bluff
<Serith> Iddy roll for Serith < 37 > [d20=4]

[Yuthirin]

OOC: Lending my aid where I can without bluffing!

Muirfinn closes his eyes and huffs out his nose, channeling his frustration with his own failures earlier. "Look, we all have more important fights to pick, and fighting here will only get the lot of us into trouble."  He glares at the group and the devils meaningfully. "All of us."

[19:38] <Muirfinn> roll 1d20+40 diplomacy
[19:38] <Serith> Muirfinn roll for Serith < 54 >12 [d20=14]

[Anastasia]

Diabolical eyes go from Sylvie to Lief and finally to Muirfinn. Finally, he says in Infernal, "Yaromos, get the Sub-Commander." One of the erinyes in the back flies off and away, down a hall mostly hidden by the other devils. It gives you time - not much, for within a minute the erinyes returns with a gelugon. A familiar creature to the party, one carrying the spear typical of the caste. It walks around them and to the party...

> roll 1d20+23 knowledge check
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 26 > [d20=3]

The creature hisses, mandibles clacking together as it raises its spear up, "AURORA!"

Things that don't help sneaking by? Being famous anti-devil terrorists known to Baator. Roll init here, everyone.